Posted by viridis on December 7, 2002, at 1:57:38
In reply to Stimulants for Refractory Depression?, posted by jralphc on December 6, 2002, at 12:39:59
I've experienced periodic episodes of moderate to very severe depression (several times a year) since childhood. The standard antidepressants I tried (SSRIs, Wellbutrin) caused major side effects and didn't help much, even after months of use. I also have anxiety problems, and when I started Klonopin for that, the worst of the depression and lack of motivation disappeared. But I still had frequent, less intense depression.
When I started taking Adderall (for ADD) almost a year ago, the remaining depression lifted and now I generally feel more energetic, focused, and enthusiastic. It also has an antianxiety effect for me, especially in combination with Klonopin. I commented to my pdoc that Adderall has a powerful antidepressant effect in addition to helping with ADD. He said that amphetamines often work that way, and seems quite happy with my response.
By the way, I take a very low dose of Adderall (5-10 mg/day) and haven't needed to increase it so far. I sometimes skip a day or two with no problem. It's a very good med for me.
I can't comment about the possible heart risks -- this is something to discuss with your doctor. My blood pressure is normal and doesn't go up the way it often used to when I was stressed out, but I've never had any heart problems.
poster:viridis
thread:130779
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20021203/msgs/130867.html